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Hey, it’s Jeffrey — back again!
I've never actually read my homeowners insurance policy. I'm guessing most people haven't either. It's just one of those things I'm never going to sit down and do.
But I've wondered: am I paying too much? Do I have the right coverage, or am I missing something? I didn't really know the answers. So I figured, why not have AI help me start there?
I pasted my declarations page into Claude and asked it to tell me what I actually have, what I might be missing, and whether there's room to save.
Here's the prompt I used:
I'm going to paste in my homeowners insurance declarations page. Please read it carefully and do the following:
Summarize my coverage in plain English — what I'm actually protected against, in simple terms
Flag any common coverage gaps — things like water backup, sewer line, jewelry/valuables sublimits, replacement cost vs. actual cash value, ordinance or law coverage, and anything else worth knowing about
List the questions I should bring to my insurance agent — specific, pointed questions based on what you see (or don't see) in my policy
Note anything that seems low, missing, or unusual compared to typical policies for a homeowner in [your state]
Identify any adjustments that could lower my premium.
Do not tell me what to change — just help me understand what I have and what I might be missing.
Here's my declarations page:
[paste declarations page text here]
What I found:
I have no water backup coverage. There's also a seepage exclusion on my policy, which means gradual water intrusion through the foundation isn't covered either. For an older home, those two gaps together could be a real problem and is definitely something I want to look into further with my agent.
There was also a lead paint exclusion I'd never noticed, which is relevant to any home built before 1978. And my medical payments coverage was well below what Claude estimated is typical, so worth a conversation with my agent.
On the savings side, my personal property coverage may be way higher than I actually need. Claude also flagged that adding water backup is relatively cheap, though I'd verify the actual cost with my insurer rather than taking its estimate at face value.
Overall, a mix of coverage to check on and adjustments to make, which could end up saving money with just a quick email to my insurance agent (which I had Claude draft, of course).
Keep going? Once you've run the audit, ask:
"What's the break-even on raising my deductible from $1,000 to $2,500 given my emergency fund?"
"What would it cost to add water backup coverage, and is it worth it for my home's age and location?"
"Is my dwelling coverage ($X) realistic for rebuild costs in my area?"Reply and tell me what scenarios came up for yours — curious how different they are from mine."
You Can't Automate Good Judgement
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It’s the pressure to do more with less — without losing what makes your leadership effective.
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One quick note: This newsletter is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. I'm not a financial advisor — just someone sharing ideas and tools I've found useful. Use what works for you, skip what doesn't, and always do your own research. Some links may be affiliate links or sponsored content for which I may receive compensation.